Robin's Baskets

Here are some baskets that Robin has made in the past. We still use most of them. They were well maid.

Some pine needle baskets.

Yucca Leaf Basket and Cork Board Trivet.

Colored Bands In Reed Basket.

White Oak Bread Basket.

Stories

We were visiting Neil Glancey, winemaker at Wood River Cellars and met Dave Buich, owner from the Bay Area who's family has owned the Tadich Grill in San Francisco. He loves Idaho for raising his family. Brad Warner, winemaker/consultant who was visiting, had worked at Mondavi for 30 years. We shared tales of the early 70's and got around to the stories recounted by SF Chronicle columnist Herb Caen.
I told them the story of my grandmother's exchange with JR Simplot. He must have been about 6 years old when  my grandmother age 20, met him at Blue Lakes Ranch around 1915. His family came to the fruit ranch each fall to glean apples in the orchards. Gleaning is an old term used to describe people who come after the official harvest to pick fruit, vegetables or grains left on the trees, vines, bushes or on the ground to add to their personal larder for sustenance.  In later years, as JR Simplot grew his company, fortune and fame, my grandmother would  tell of meeting him as a youngster with his family.
We attended a Christmas sing-a-long at the Morrison Center in Boise one year when my grandmother was in a wheel chair. The seating area for wheel chairs made a wide walkway for other attendees on their way to their seats. As Mr. and Mrs. Simplot entered through this aisle, I rose and stopped him to re-introduce him to Stella Perrine [Haight] who remembered him visiting her father's fruit ranch. He loudly boasted: "you wouldn't recognize it now, Stella, I own it all" with a wide sweep of his arms. She inquired: "Are the apples any good?" and he replied: "They might be, if I sprayed them." They wished each other Merry Christmas as he went on his way. She quietly told me: "He's grown up into quite a good looking man."
Brad said I should publish this one of many stories we shared!

Interim family information

I am still trying to accumulate photos and addresses of places I have lived, but in the meanwhile, my sister Rhea asked about how our parents met each other:
JCPenney Co. started in Kemmerer, WY. Grandfather Robinson was born in John Day, OR and went to The Dalles, OR as a young man and was hired by Blaine Elliott to work at the Penney store there. Blaine was married to Doris Remington. They introduced our grandmother Edna Frances Remington to Robert Pemberton Robinson and they were married in The Dalles, OR in 1914 when Grandmother was only 16 years old. I don't know if she ever finished High School, but she wanted to get away from her family of all sisters. Grandfather Robinson was transferred after Delbert James 1917 and 3 years later mother Jeanne DeVere 1920 were born, to a store somewhere in the mid-west [Nebraska or Oklahoma?]. Then he was transferred to manage the Twin Falls store when mother was in elementary school.

When our Dad, Horton Granville Haight, b. Jan 8, 1919 was a 6'th grader, there was an influenza endemic in TF and most of the teachers were out sick. The upper grade students taught the younger grade students; dad met mother when he taught her 4'th grade class.

1940

They dated off and on while he was in High School. When he graduated in 1936 [he had skipped a grade in elementary school] he got a full scholarship to the University of Idaho. He was hired by DuPont as he graduated in Chemical Engineering in 1940 and sent to Columbia in NYC to work on his Master's and the DDT project for WWII. He rented an apartment in Rahway, New Jersey.

1938

1940

Mother graduated in 1938, became Miss Twin Falls and was runner-up in the first Miss Idaho competition at Sun Valley [Miss Nampa won]. Both of them worked at Sun Valley summers and winters between school terms. Mother got a full scholarship to study music at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her roommate was a 'pistol packin redhead' from a logging family in WA. When the war started in 1940, mother transferred to Linnfield College to major in secretarial studies, which she thought would be more practical than music. That is where she met Frances Cottingham [Longworth , Robbins etc.] her roommate, and life-long friend.

1941

Mother and dad married in Twin Falls on August 30, 1941. Mother said she appreciated the fact that dad had a steady job and was not about to be killed or injured in active military.

The Robinson's were transferred from Twin Falls  to Wenatchee, WA and Bobby [RPR, Jr. 1936] went to school there. Then much later in his career - probably around age 50 - Grandfather R. was transferred to Bend, OR and still kept a cabin at Lake Wenatchee, where he died of a heart attack age 65 or so - just before he was to retire - Grandmother R never forgave him for ruining their retirement plans! Bobby never forgave his mother for selling the cabin!
Mother used to entertain Mr. James Cash Penney with her piano music when he visited them as he did most of his managers. Thus, later in life, mother got the executive secretary job for JCP in NYC, because she not only had the secretarial qualifications, but also Mr. Penney had known her as a young lady.

1956

#13 on the Road; #14 settling down.

I suppose I could count living out of a car, in a tent - or not - as #13. We did find generosity and hospitality along the way. While visiting New Orleans, we decided to ask at the Charity Hospital Nursing School Residence if they had any rooms we could rent. It was common in Delaware, for traveling nurses to rent rooms in the Student Nurses Residence Hall. The Mother Superior was kind and very enthusiastic to have us stay there at no cost in a 6 bed dormitory room on the top floor and even offered parking for free. The only expense we had while in New Orleans was for meals and entertainment. It was a great experience and a fabulous memory. Brenda and I have talked about donating to Charity Hospital, especially after Katrina.

Texas seemed to go on forever ... we finally made it to the Rio Grande near McAllen and camped out under the big Texas sky. Remember now this was winter and Ruby Red Grapefruit were cheap and delicious. I purchased a supplemental car insurance policy for Mexico while in Atlanta, suggested by our hosts. As we crossed the border into Mexico, there was a distinct cultural change. Pavement turned into dusty dirt roads; children as young as four were selling 'Chiclets' chewing gum and making perfect change. We got lost a few times on the way to Mexico City. In one small town near Monterrey, we were escorted to the only English speaking person. A Radiologist helped us with a map and clear directions. How we finally met up with Georgia [Summerville] and Rick Paez in Districto Federales = Mexico City, I don't remember. They took us to his parents home and a Bull Fight. They hosted us in their home in CuernaVaca, the City of Eternal Springtime. We were advised to not camp in Mexico, so we found lovely accommodations and inexpensive meals along our way back to the USA.

Somehow we arrived in San Francisco, almost out of money. We stayed at the YWCA and subsisted on Sour Dough Bread and water. My grandmother Robinson in Bend, OR welcomed us, fed us well and helped us get to Boise, where we stayed with my Haight grandparents on Morris Hill Road #14. We got our Idaho RN licenses and went to work as soon as we could - I worked at St. Alphonsus Labor and Delivery, while Brenda worked in Pediatrics at St. Luke's. Brenda purchased her first car - a snazzy Midnight Blue 1965 Mustang - she named "Amigo". Boise Photos:

#12 and beyond ...

My pursuit of a career in journalism was forever changed by becoming an R.N. Writing nurses' notes is a form of descriptive journalism, but doing this blog takes more creativity than I had imagined. I keep trying to find the time and age appropriate photographs to add to the blog appeal. In the summer of 1965, before graduation in September, I represented Delaware at the American Student Nurses Convention in San Francisco and the International Congress of Nursing in Frankfort a/M Germany. I met Gisela Beer and visited her family home in Cologne. I also travelled with an Australian nurse, Alverna Ballard, from Perth. With a co-loan from my father, I purchased my first car in Wolfsburg on a special deal: "buy it there and pay no import tax." Car payments were $52/month. My first job as a new R.N. was in the Labor and Delivery department. #12 residence was an apartment on Bancroft Parkway, just a few blocks North of the Brandywine River, within walking distance from the Delaware Hospital.
After graduation, Brenda Payne, R.N. and Robin Haight, R.N. headed west in that green VW bug "Gruenschen". She had a sunroof, but we covered that with a tarp and filled it with camping gear. We left in 10 inches of snow, aimed towards the South, camped the first night on top of picnic tables in Cumberland Gap, MD. As we headed westward, Brenda voiced amazement at seeing the Smokey mountains in Georgia - there aren't any mountains in Delaware or Eastern Maryland. Knowing we were going towards the Sierras and the Rocky Mountains, I'd always giggle and reply: "You ain't seen nuttin' yet, Brenda." We stopped in Atlanta at the home of one of my parents friends - George and Betty Somerville. They took us to see the sights - Stone Mountain - the Famous men of the South carved as their version of Mount Rushmore. Their oldest daughter, Georgia, my age, was living in Mexico. They encouraged us to travel to see her and their youngest daughter, Liz, age 9, taught us the necessary Spanish to survive a visit to Mexico. How to order milk with ice [rather than drink warm milk] Please, Thank You, Right, Left and straight ahead and how to find or ask for the ladies room.
On our way towards Texas and eventually Mexico, we found ourselves in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. We could have camped on the NE side of Lake Pontchartrain and taken the hiway bridge each day into the city. Gas costs and travel time convinced us to look for another place to stay.
To be continued ...

# 8 for the Haight family

In 1960, my senior year at Newark High School, my parents decided to build a modern house. 1103 Church Road in Christine Manor became quite a project. The architect was dubious about the western "Ranch Style" home with a 'butterfly roof', redwood and red brick siding with turquoise painted trim.

A kidney shaped swimming pool took up about one third of the back patio, half-covered by the roof. The interior fireplace was massive with a smaller outside grill fireplace connected but open to the patio.

It was quite an entertaining house, with hardwood floors in the living room covered with a huge teal carpet that was rolled up for dancing.
I had a summer job at LeBro Lincoln Mercury as a telephone solicitor. The following summer after graduation, I went to Rehoboth Beach with friend Leilani Snow to work in the restaurant business as a short order cook. We rented a room over the restaurants on the first block of Rehoboth Avenue.[#9] In pursuit of a career in Journalism, I also had a column in the weekly newspaper - "A Bird's Eye View by Robin" mostly a synopsis of social activities going on at the beach.
When it came time to go to the University of Delaware for my English/Journalism career education, I was assigned a room in Kent Hall [#10] with a roommate, Barbara Campbell. She talked in her sleep ... in French! I had asked for someone 'interesting' on my dormitory application. She was the daughter of a DuPont employee from Geneva, Switzerland. Although an American, she had been schooled in French. I have lost track of her.
I did not do well enough in required courses to stay at the U of D; I played too much bridge and studied too little. My choice was to attend the Delaware Hospital School of Nursing for an education that was very suitable for life. The tuition, room and board, books and uniforms was far less than the U of D. $300 for all three years compared to over $1000 for one year at university. I moved once again [#11] to the Nurse's Residence on Brandywine Avenue in Wilmington, Delaware. Nursing students were often employed as babysitters by the Medical Staff. My favorites were Dr. Mette's five children who were bi-lingual and helped me practice German and Dr. Mustafa Oz, Chief of Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Mehemet Oz was five when I first met him. He and his younger sister were brilliant and well-behaved children.

Back East for #6

My parents had divorced and re-married in 1951. My dad was transferred to a Baltimore DuPont pigments plant and we lived in a house at 1924 Norman Road in Glen Burnie, MD. I attended 2n'd through 4'th grades and remember watching Queen Elizabeth's Coronation. My parents took dance lessons from Arthur and Kathryn Murray and appeared on Television as dancers. I appeared on T.V. in the peanut gallery of the Buffalo Bob show with Howdy Doody and Clarabelle the clown. We had an English Setter named 'Ski' and he loved to chew on shoes. We had a housekeeper / babysitter who was later fired for stealing.

 Next move, dad was transferred in 1953 to the Louviers building in Newark, DE where he was one of the first five DuPont employees trained to run the first computer, the "Univac". Those five each trained five other employees and so on until most of the staff at Louviers were computer-literate. Meanwhile, I struggled with math. We lived in home #7 at 530 Papermill Road for $75/month rent. Dad could walk to work. The house on 365 acres was owned by Hallock DuPont. It was a 6 story 1860's house with 18 " thick walls, a slave cellar, a coal steam heater with rattling old cast iron registers, a tin roof over the porch, window seats, and wasps in the attic. We had a black Collie named "Shep", a grey kitten "Misty" and "Liverachee" orange stripe.

The property had an immense barn with 12 " beams, lots of pigeons, a hay stack inside for great jumping and stored some of the farm equipment used by High School Ag classes. They grew mostly corn in the fields surrounding the barn. The Delaware Police push-mobile derby track was a relatively new feature used once a year for races; the rest of the year we had a private bicycle race track and sledding hill.
The Wilbur [Bill] and Vieve Gore family of five: Susan, Bob, Ginger, David and E.[Betty] Gore lived on the other side of Papermill Road and they were the only other Idahoans I met in Delaware. They also had a swimming pool. Bill developed teflon products - Gortex - in his basement and left DuPont to pursue his own business creations.
 I attended 5'th grade through High School in Newark. My parents started the first Fred Astaire franchise in DE. I met Bob in Cotillion Ballroom class when I was 13 and he was 14. I got to go to "Philthadelphia" with mother's teen dance class and dance on Dick Clark's Bandstand. The featured 'stars' were Eydie Gourme and Steve Lawrence.
I met my best friend, Nancy Bonney, in Newark. Her parents were both teachers. More to come ....